Gunk Engine Cleaners?

**akimel** · 08-06-2009, 08:46 PM

Has anyone used and found effective one of the Gunk engine cleaners. If yes, which one do you prefer and why? There are several Gunk engine degreasers available at my local auto store: Engine Brite, Engine Brite Zero V.O.C., Foamy Engine Brite, Gel Engine Brite, and Engine Shine.

TIA.

**Black150** · 08-06-2009, 10:00 PM

Hello Al. I`ve used both the original Engine Brite and the Foamy Brite. They seemed to work equally well with the exception of the foam being able to cling to vertical or upside down surfaces better. Both still needed agitation and a pressure washing to get entirely clean as well.

**merkure** · 08-07-2009, 06:24 AM

I`ve only ever used the regular Engine Bright on small lawn mower and go-kart engines, it works but it smells like Kerosene.

**MrRumble** · 08-07-2009, 07:16 AM

Originally Posted by merkure

I`ve only ever used the regular Engine Bright on small lawn mower and go-kart engines, it works but it smells like Kerosene.

+1, seemed so harsh on the lungs the first (and last) time I used it. I would first try an all purpose cleaner/degreaser.

**eddie926** · 08-07-2009, 07:23 AM

I`ve used regular, foamy and gel. I prefer the foamy or the gel because they cling.

I use them to get the worst off if things are REALLY dirty, like an engine that hasn`t been cleaned for a long time.

Yes, they do require some agitation after dwelling if you want to really get things clean. I`m personally not a fan of power washing in the engine bay, but that`s just me. So, I just do a gentle rinse.

If I want things REALLY clean after that (like "car show" clean), then I`ll go to work by hand with brushes, rags and an APC.

Afterward, I mightl hit it with some CD2 Engine Detailer. It dresses all the plastic and rubber nicely and leaves a great look. Other times I`ve used regular Armor All on the plastic and rubber. It looks good too, but doesn`t seem to hold up as well as the CD2.

If you want things to look pretty good, but don`t want to spend the time to do a lot of hand cleaning, you can do a Gunk treatment, let things dry, then follow with a CD2 application.

**POPPAJ** · 08-07-2009, 08:24 AM

Not a big fan of the Gunk products...just to harsh. Prefer a gentle diluted APC and power wash.

**eddie926** · 08-07-2009, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by POPPAJ

Not a big fan of the Gunk products...just to harsh. Prefer a gentle diluted APC and power wash.

I agree. They seem pretty harsh. As I said, I generally only use it on an engine that`s REALLY dirty. Once I`m past that, I do maintenance level cleaning with an APC. Example, I just did a 94 Olds for a family member and the engine had NEVER been cleaned. I used Gunk to nuke the 15 years of build up, then used an APC for the rest.

**Kean** · 08-07-2009, 09:16 AM

....I used Gunk, Berrymans, etc. on occassion many years ago for engine degreasing. These days I just use APC`s and a little agitation. One problem I see with the petroleum based products (that I won`t get with the APC`s I use) is the lingering smell. ....couple this with the fact that many areas have laws against runoff of these products. Environmental concerns aside, that flammable aroma can be a trail of bread crumbs for anyone wanting to report you. It`s simply not a very practical product for the majority of folks to use these days.

**Junebug** · 08-07-2009, 02:21 PM

Screw enviro wackos, if they sell it, use it. Ain`t we all got more to worry about than Goddamn few oz`s of "run-off"? I sure as hell do.

**mborner** · 08-07-2009, 02:36 PM

Gunk = diesel fuel in a spray can.

**Legacy** · 08-07-2009, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by JuneBug

Screw enviro wackos, if they sell it, use it. Ain`t we all got more to worry about than Goddamn few oz`s of "run-off"? I sure as hell do.

A statement like that is what is screwing up our enviroment. What`s the big deal about a few ozs. of toxic waste X that by a few million cans sold, that`s the problem.

**Kean** · 08-07-2009, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by JuneBug

Screw enviro wackos, if they sell it, use it. Ain`t we all got more to worry about than Goddamn few oz`s of "run-off"? I sure as hell do.

.....regardless of environmental impact (or lack thereof), allowing runoff in areas where it is illegal can be an expensive risk. These petro-based chemicals make it even more obvious to those "enviro wackos" who are more than willing to report you. It happened to one of my old neighbors (with a very clean Mustang). The fire department showed up and performed a hazmat cleanup of the area (definitely overkill in my book). Apparently another neighbor down the street (around the corner) picked up on the smell in the gutter and called it in. My neighbor received a healthy fine as a result. .....this was years ago that this happened when the laws began to change. I can imagine its much worse these days.

**jessicah** · 08-07-2009, 03:05 PM

After reading through this thread, I think I`ll be returning my can of Engine Brite and just going with some diluted Simple Green to clean my engine this weekend.

**Kean** · 08-07-2009, 03:11 PM

....for heavily soiled applications you can still use the Engine Brite but you need a way to capture the runoff if it is an issue in your situation. Something like a large drip pan and then setting it aside to evaporate.

**Junebug** · 08-08-2009, 07:36 PM

Ya`ll note I don`t live in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia, and I doubt "millions" of people are out using Gunk every day of the week. I thank God I live in good ol NC, on 23 acres of my own land where I do as I damn well please.

Feel free to spend your life trying to save the left-handed lesbo snail farter, if that`s your thing, me, the horrid run off from my details, oil changes and possem killings runs right into my back yard, and the grass has never looked better.